Little Boy Paralyzed By Rare Virus Beats Odds By Walking

Paralyzed from the neck down due to a rare neurological condition, Jonathan Williams has beaten the odds by walking. (credit: CBS)

RANCHO CUCAMONGA (CBSLA.com) — When Jonathan Williams was 2 years old, he was paralyzed from the neck down following the onset of a rare neurological condition, known as transverse myelitis.

Doctors told Williams’ mom, Danielle Williams, that the virus – which affects one in one million people — could leave the then-toddler wheelchair bound for the rest of his life.

“When the doctor said that he could be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, it’s one of the worst things that you could hear,” Danielle told CBS2’s Crystal Cruz.

But for this local family, hope came in the form of a special moment years ago, when Williams flicked a chocolate chip off his tiny hand.

“When my husband called me, I pulled over on the freeway and I started sobbing,” Danielle recalls.

That pivotal moment marked the beginning of years of weekly physical therapy for Jonathan to rebuild what the virus had damaged.

Now 7 years old, Jonathan is thriving. As Cruz reports, the courageous little boy has been able to walk on his own without the use of braces and looks forward to tackling new dreams, like playing professional sports one day.

“My hope was that by now, he would, you know, be 100 percent back to normal, which is not the case, but I know in my heart that he’s going to be fine,” his mom said. “If there’s something he wants to do, he’ll figure out a way to get it done.”